London: A veteran British TV reporter claimed on the air Tuesday that he had used a pillow years ago to smother a lover who was dying of AIDS, adding a startling contribution to the country`s debate on mercy killing.
The Nottinghamshire Police force said it would investigate Ray Gosling`s claim. Under British law, assisting a suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Gosling told a BBC television program that he and the unidentified man had made a pact. He said he smothered the man in his hospital bed to spare him pain.
"I killed someone once ... He was a young chap, he`d been my lover and he got AIDS," Gosling said in the interview. "He was in terrible, terrible pain. I said to the doctor, `Leave me just for a bit` and he went away. I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead."
Seventy-year-old Gosling did not say where or when the incident took place. He said he believed he had made the right decision and had no regrets.
"When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer," he said in the show, which was broadcast Monday.
The BBC said it would cooperate fully with a police investigation.
Bureau Report
